Welcome to the Character Education Network

Responsibility

Definition: Obliged or expected to account for

Your child can show responsibility by:

• Getting up, getting dressed, and eating breakfast by the time to leave for school.
• Helping with household chores without reminders.
• Doing homework on time and keeping school work in order.
• Taking care of his or her own laundry.
• Beginning a savings account and putting a little money into it each week or month.

Questions to discuss together:

• What are the responsibilities each of us has in our family?
• What are your specific responsibilities, both at home and at school?
• What are your responsibilities for lessons you take, sports you are involved in, or extracurricular activities?
• When someone is acting irresponsibly, how does it affect us? (For example: What is the effect of not being waited on in a store because the employee is on the phone?) How does it make you feel when someone you are counting on is not responsible?
• What are ways we can be responsible for our health? (Discuss nutrition, exercise, and wellness in this context.)

Projects to do together:

• Help your child get his or her notebooks organized for the school year.
• Agree on bedtimes and wake-up times.
• Discuss food needed for feeling good and being ready to study.
• Take your son or daughter grocery shopping. Assist them with the responsibility for one week of making the grocery choices and handling the grocery money.
• Read Every Kid’s Guide to Family Rules and Responsibilities, by Joy W. Berry.

Encouraging respect in your child:

• Remind your child to be responsible for each class by writing assignments in the class planner.
• Check your child’s notebook each day for a few days or weeks. Be patient as he or she learns responsibility, and praise good efforts.
• Watch for ways your child is being responsible. Give positive feedback and appreciation when you see responsible actions.
• Share examples of how you or someone you know was responsible today.
• If your child forgets to be responsible, encourage a fresh start.

Excerpt from Teaching Character: A Parent’s Guide by Anne C. Dotson and Karen D. Wisont. - Available from the National Center for Youth Issues or from the Character Development Group.